Bessarabia family origins

Quick links: Compiled origin lists, Odessa-area villages, Poland/Prussia, Germany, Hungary, main Bessarabia research page

When Bessarabia became part of Russia in 1812, German families came from many places to settle there. These places of origin include: other Odessa-area German villages, Poland/Prussia, Germany, Hungary (usually via one of the Odessa-area villages).

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Compiled lists of Bessarabian family origins

Many lists have been compiled that include Bessarabian family origins. Many of these are based on church records, Heimatbücher, and similar sources. Some are passport or immigration lists from various archives.

• List of origins for Beresina, Borodino, Kloestitz, and Leipzig settlers (From the Dale Wahl Collection)

• Origins of Alt Elft residents by Ralph Ruff, Bessarabian Newsletter issue 2-3 (pg. 29)

• Armin Zimmerman's origins research for Alt Posttal, Arzis, Beresina, Borodino, Brienne, (Alt) Elft, Katzbach, Klöstitz, Kulm, Leipzig, Neu Arcis, Neu Elft, Paris, Tarutino, Wittenberg

• Origins of Alt Posttal families (from history written in 1923 for the 100th anniversary of the village)

• List of Bessarabian founding families (compiled from various sources, listed by village)
     Download file of family origins (zip) (all villages, listed alphabetic by surname)

• Reports from 1817 of family origins (from DAI file T81-624))

• Immigration to Akkerman Kreis (Bessarabia) (archive file 134-2-134)

• Movement into and out of Bessarabia

• Passport & Transport lists from GRHS Clearinghouse (includes archives lists from 1809 and 1803-1894)

• Curt Renz's Korner has a list of Bessarabian settlers in 1820 (6-1-1393)

• Family origins from 1938 Karl Stumpp book (alphabetic by surname, starting on pg. 11)

• List of families who arrived in 1820-1821 (archive file 6-4-23701)

• List of surnames from Bessarabien Heimatkalendar 1986-1990 (includes place of origin)

• List of surnames from Bessarabian Heimatbücher from Borodino, Friedenstal, Leipzig, Sarata, Tarutino, Teplitz, Wittenberg (includes many places of origin)

• Elli's Korner includes a list of surnames from 1918 questionnaires with some family origins (DAI films 630, 631, 632)

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Researching families originating in Odessa-area villages

Many Bessarabian families came from German villages in the Odessa area. These groups of villages include: Beresan District, Grossliebental District, Glückstal area, Hoffnungstal/Odessa Parish, Kutschurgan District, Odessa city.

 

See a list of villages in each of these parishes.

 

The Black Sea German-Russian Census Vol. I (available at the GRHS Store) has censuses from many of the Odessa-area villages. See the index of surnames.

 

Beresan District (BDO)

• Beresan District Regional Interest Group (BDO RIG) research pages (scroll to the bottom of the page)

• St. Pete records for BDO villages

• Wilhelm Kemendic's Korner has info on families from Worms, Beresan

• Allen Konrad's Korner has info on BDO families & villages

• BDO village gains/losses - shows families that moved 1811-1812

Grossliebental District (GDO)

• Grossliebental District Regional Interest Group (GDO RIG)

• St. Pete records for GDO villages

• Allen Konrad's Korner has info on GDO families & villages

• GDO Clearing House projects

• GDO village gains/losses - shows families that moved 1811-1822

Glückstal area villages

• St. Pete records for Glückstal villages

• Glückstal village Clearing House projects

• The Glückstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA) has publications and other resources for this area

Hoffnungstal/Odessa Parish (HOP)

• Hoffnungstal/Odessa Parish Regional Interest Group (HOP RIG) research pages

• HOP Clearing House projects

Kutschurgan villages (KRIG)

• Kutschurgan Regional Interest Group (KRIG)

• Kutschurgan Clearing House projects

• Allen Konrad's Korner has info on Kutschurgan villages

• Kutschurgan village gains/losses - shows families that moved 1811-1822

Odessa city

• Ingrid Reule's Korner has a compilation of families moving from Odessa to Bessarabia

• Church records from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Odessa are available in the GRHS Store

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Researching families originating in Poland & Prussia

A large number of German families, the "Warsaw Colonists," emigrated from Poland/Prussia to Bessarabia. (Due to border changes, sometimes the area where they lived was called "South Prussia" and sometimes "Poland.") By 1813 at the time of Alexander I's invitation to settle Bessarabia, they were suffering from persecution and severe taxation by the Polish land owners.

• Resources for researching Bessarabian Germans in Poland

Researching families originating in Germany

Overview:

• Doing Genealogy Research in Germany - presentation at the 2009 GRHS convention

• How to Research Your Ancestors in Germany - from the Heritage Review (June 2008)

• GRHS Ort Coordinators (OCs) - volunteers who can help you research your German village of origin

GRHS resources for researching origins in Germany:

• German Origins Index (by German village)

• German Ort Indexes from the Christian Fiess files (by German village)

• Ort projects from the Clearing House include several compilations of research from German villages

• Elli's Korner includes a Lübeck marriage list with some German village origins (DAI film 597) and a list of some emigrants from Württemberg (DAI film 599)
• Ingrid Reule's Korner includes lists of emigrants from several German villages

• Allen Konrad's Korner has many documents related to families from Germany

Links to non-GRHS resources:

• Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg online search engine for emigrants from Baden, Württemberg, and Hohenzollern

• Alsace (aka Elsaß) Genealogy Genwiki

• Öschelbronn bei Pforzheim, Württemberg online family books back to the 16th century. (Click "Hier finden Sie das Familienbuch")

• Schwenningen, Württemberg family database (especially Bessarabian Schlenker & Jauch families)

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Researching families originating in Hungary

Some German families came to Russia after spending one or more generations in Hungary. Most of these families came to Bessarabia via an Odessa-area village in the Grossliebental District or Glückstal area.

• History of Germans to Hungary and list of surnames by Hungarian village

• 1938 Karl Stumpp book - Bessarabian families from Hungary

• Bessarabians from Hungary compiled from many sources - published in the Bessarabian Newsletter issues 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 7-1

• Gayla's Korner has the Germans from Hungary to Russia database

• Clearing House Hungary projects

• From Germany to Hungary to Russia, a presentation from the 2007 & 2008 GRHS conventions

• Sammelwerk donauschwäbischer Kolonisten by Stefan Stader - a fabulous compilation of info on Germans in Hungary. Some books available on microfilm from the FHL.